Achieving Goals

December 17th, 2012: I had written a happy birthday post for the Gracie x Picasso pups but for some reason it vanished! Perhaps the send button was not pressed? Regardless, the pups are now two years old. Ever since I can remember (probably since I first learned the word 'dog'), it has always been a goal of mine to have lots of animals, help animals in need and commit myself to the breeding of high quality pups. As I grew up, my goal changed to not only breeding high quality pups but ensuring those pups had the best opportunities with loving forever families. Sounds mushy, I know!

 I have achieved my goal:

• 'White' puppy has the most loving family and has a new baby with another one on the way - Tollers and kids are the perfect mix - her owners have done a marvellous job training her and trusting her to be around their toddler, it is impressive and they are so cute together!
• 'Light Blue' puppy also has a very loving family and she recently got to move to the beautiful west coast of Canada - she gets to visit the ocean a lot! - lucky pup, I know I am envious
• 'Green' puppy has been loved and cared for by one of the pioneers of the Toller breed and soon gets to travel to Australia to continue her career
• 'Dark Blue' puppy also has a super loving family and will be moving from the prairies all the way to the east coast of Canada - I also hear there is soon to be a new addition to the family!
• 'Pink' puppy moved from the great white north down to southern Alberta and has spent much of her time in the Alberta Rockies accompanying her owners on ski trips, hikes and camping trips - lucky pup!

I also think about my days as a Humane Society volunteer (fostering, kennel attendant, board member) and all the families who would abandon their dogs to move. I count my blessings for the families of the five Tollers listed above!

Can/Am Ch. Tikko's Eau de Pikkinokka

1986 Magazine Article

October 18th, 2012: Recently on one of the Toller forums, someone shared a very interesting magazine article on the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, printed in 1986. The three paged article is attached below and is a nice read for any Toller enthusiast. Enjoy! [Please click on the pictures to open in full view to read]

Page 1 - 1986

Page 2 - 1986

Page 3 - 1986

A Taste of Jasper

September 27th, 2012: Today my wee family ventured forth to the wonderful national park of Jasper. Summer is NOT over. The 'lake' in the following pictures is actually a pond formed by a river flowing in the far distance. Every year this area floods with water of a one to two foot depth. The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever AND the German Shepherd Dog absolutely loved this outing. Enjoy!

If cuteness could be bottled...

September 24th, 2012: If cuteness could be bottled, Toller breeders would be wealthy! It has almost been two years since the planning of my first litter and I actually miss all of the preparation, planning and time spent on the process. Carolyn of Jocar Kennels just shared these photos of her pups who are now two weeks old. I'm not 100% sure but I believe there are still pups available from this litter which is rare these days. I've received a lot of inquiries from potential homes and I realize there are many people on waiting lists. For more information about these pups, email Carolyn for more details:  jocartollers@telus.net

What a sweetie!

Little black nosed Toller

2 weeks and active!

Goodbye Summer, Hello Fall

September 19, 2012: Goodbye summer!!! What a beautiful and warm summer we have had in Hinton Alberta. After spending 10 days in wine region of Washington and British Columbia, we have returned home to the wonderful shades of fall. The dogs stayed with Jocar Kennels in Kelowna. We had the privilege of meeting Jocar's newest litter of 7 beautiful Duck Toller pups (puppy photos taken by Jocar). Last I heard there were still pups available out of this litter which is rare these days!!! There are no litters planned from Tikko Tollers in the near future - if you are interested in these pups, you can email Carolyn at jocartollers@telus.net (email address updated).

Only a few days old!

Brand new puppies!

One last dip in the lovely Okanagan Lakes

Happy Toller

Two peas in a pod...

August 13th, 2012: Tollers plus children are a great mix. My sister was visiting for a few days and her little guy became attached to my Toller, Gracie...or should I saw Gracie became attached to the two-year-old? What I want to know is...what were these two doing to my garden? ;) Here is a picture of two peas in a pod, photographed by my sister.

Toller + Two-year-old

Mountain Dogs

June 29, 2012: We've uprooted our wee family and moved to the fabulous Rocky Mountains of Alberta...or at least closer to them. The weekend started out with a quick trip to Maligne Lake in Jasper National Park. Needless to say, the dogs are loving their new stomping grounds.

Gracie in her element

The GSD tried to venture off alone, thus the leash

Wildlife galore

Eau-Dee in the United States

April 8, 2012: Ch. Tikko's Eau de Pikkinokka can now be called an American AND Canadian Champion. Eau-Dee managed to secure an American championship in two weekends, all majors, winning over some very stunning specials. Congrats to everyone involved. We're as proud as can be! What an amazing accomplishment for a 1 year old Toller!